


Pieces

by glitch_writes



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Family, Growing Old Together, M/M, Parenthood, Post-Canon, dudes being dads
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-30
Updated: 2017-05-30
Packaged: 2018-11-07 00:59:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,828
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11047986
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/glitch_writes/pseuds/glitch_writes
Summary: "But life had other plans for him, sweeping the pieces into the wind and leaving him a new puzzle to solve.He and his niece were the only two pieces now, holding together tightly to gather their new life."Ennoshita isn't sure how to be a father, and he finds help in the form of an old friend unexpectedly.





	Pieces

**Author's Note:**

  * For [trashquing](https://archiveofourown.org/users/trashquing/gifts).



> [Pentatonix - Light in the Hallway](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qaleJEH7WcE)
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> Word count: 12,826

Ennoshita had always assumed life would be like a jigsaw puzzle. He had the picture of what he wanted in mind: dream career, dream car, dream home. He had the pieces ready: college degree, solid budget, already had the perfect apartment. He just needed to put them together.

But life had other plans for him, sweeping the pieces into the wind and leaving him a new puzzle to solve.

He and his niece were the only two pieces now, holding together tightly to gather their new life.

*

“Are you excited for kindergarten next week?”

It would be good for Shiori to get out and meet other kids. Their new apartment wasn’t as “perfect” as his last, but it was nearly ideal now; space for two plus a guest, only a five minute walk from the school (ten with her small steps and stops to pet every dog along the way), and her room was painted her favorite shade of baby blue. All it lacked was other children her age nearby.

He was nervous for her, admittedly; she was always quiet, more on the shy side. Was this what it was like to be a parent, to fret over what he couldn’t control?

“Mhm.” The black hair he spent at least half an hour getting into a ponytail threatened to fall from its striped scrunchie from her nodding. “Cahn I wear my new dressh for the first day?” she asked _after_ she took a bite of her apple slice.

“Of course you can. And don’t talk with your mouth full.”

He reminded himself for what felt like the hundredth time that day that she’d be fine. Now that her father’s gentle smile and her mother’s easy laugh were returning to her after four long months, it would be impossible for her to not make friends. In his eyes, she should be the star of the show, the most popular girl in school. It would just take her a little time to come out of her shell.

His own smile finally came naturally as he watched hers. Was that what it was like to be a parent, to force a smile when it was hardest for someone else’s sake?

*

Shiori’s polka-dot backpack bounced as she skipped beside him, the frilly skirt of her dress under her jacket fluttering in the gentle breeze. “I made a friend.”

“You did?!” He winced at the genuine surprise in his voice; thankfully, she didn’t notice, already quietly talking about her friend’s favorite color and how she shared her ‘special’ markers.

His worries about a six-year-old’s social life blew away with the breeze.

*

If it wasn't for the drawings clearly done by another child, - Shiori didn't draw people with quite as large heads, - Ennoshita would have thought Miyuki was imaginary. Shiori would talk about her and all they did together at such length, from pushing each other on swings to splitting the snacks in their lunches, that it felt too good to be real. Imaginary or not, he couldn't thank this Miyuki enough for bringing the bounce back to Shiori’s step.

*

Two months of tales about Miyuki, seven drawings of them together (with rather large heads) on the refrigerator, and one handmade friendship bracelet later, it was finally time to meet the legend.

‘The legend’, he discovered as he opened the door, was a burst of blonde that zipped past him and straight to Shiori, hugging her as if they hadn’t seen each other in months. “Shio-chan!! Are you good? Did you eat today?”

“I’m fine, Miyu-chan,” she reassured her friend with that gentle smile that reminded Ennoshita too much of his brother.

There was something nostalgic in Miyuki’s bright grin; sharp teeth from ear to ear (with an endearing gap where a front tooth should be), and a hint of mischief that he’d recognize anywhere.

When he turned his gaze back to the doorway to see the same grin on another face, the puzzle’s picture started to come together. “Tanaka?”

 

High school was a lifetime away, a different reality with different aspirations. Seeing Tanaka in this different life, in this different kitchen across the table and matching mugs was as surreal as the painting hanging past Tanaka’s ear. Or was the past half year the surreality?

Tanaka was older, of course, but it… suited him, somehow. He was still loud laughter, bright eyes, enthusiasm enough to share. But time made him softer around the edges: a calmness to his voice, a caution in his movements.

He must make an incredible father.

“I’ve heard so much about Miyuki-chan that I feel like I know her.”

“Tell me about it. It's all ‘Shio-chan this, Shio-chan that’. She doesn't even draw me in her pictures anymore.” There was a fondness in his eyes when he spoke of his daughter, a curl of his lips he couldn’t hide behind the striped mug. “Unless she wants something, then it's ‘Here’s the family’ with a dog between us.”

“Subtle.” Curse Tanaka. His grin was always infectious, but this one was overwhelming. “I'm surprised you don't have a dog. You used to come over just to play with Naoki.”

“Can't in our place. Landlord won't allow it. There’s barely enough room for the two of us anyway."

“Two? Where’s Miyuki’s mother?”

“America.”

Tanaka stopped him with a shrug before the reactionary apology could escape Ennoshita’s lips, as nonchalant as his tone. “She visits when she can. Sends Miyuki enough stuff that I’m running out of space to put it all.”

The porcelain between his palms was losing steam, the coffee’s appeal lost in the flow of conversation. “You and her...?”

“Ah, things weren’t working out.” Tanaka didn’t bother to cover his exaggerated yawn. Some things truly did never change. Ennoshita tried and failed to suppress his answering yawn, though he had the manners to hide it behind his fist. “Miyuki was all that kept us together for a while. Then she got a job offer last year, so we finally called it quits. Still ‘friends’.” He air-quoted with the hand not scratching his jaw. “On good terms, but not gonna go out of our way to talk to each other unless it’s about Miyuki.” Tanaka grew quiet for a moment, a hint of regret in his gaze as he absently rubbed at a scratch on the cherry wood surface with his thumb. “Wish she was closer for Miyuki’s sake. Kid’s got a good spirit about it, though. Upset sometimes, but she knows her mum cares.”

“I have no doubts you’re enough of a character to fill the gap.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?!”

The smug grin tugging at his cheeks was rusty. Tanaka could no doubt put it back into practice. “It’s a good thing. Mostly.” The tiles beneath his socks as he rose to his feet were as chilled as his drink. “More coffee?”

“Sure. Surprised you’re trusting me with all this caffeine.”

“It’s decaf.”

“You’ve poisoned me.”

His laughter fell short when Tanaka asked “What about Shio-chan’s parents? Miyuki said she only mentions her uncle- You alright, Ennoshita?”

“Jun and his wife, they..." The words scratched in his throat, digging their claws in and refusing to leave. He never had to say them these past six months. Speaking them would make them real, as real as the coffee splashing out of the mug in his shaky grasp. As real as this different Tanaka in this different reality watching him with a concern that burned as much as the drip of coffee that trickled over his finger.

But he wasn't one to hold back the truth, no matter how bitter it was on his tongue. “They got into a car accident. They didn’t make it. I was babysitting her when we got the news.”

“Oh sh- Dam- Crap.”

Ennoshita’s sharp bark of laughter caught himself off guard, covering his mouth to muffle it a moment too late. His second laugh, a little lighter this time, was at Tanaka’s expense, the eyes squinting in confusion a sight he hadn’t delighted in for years. “I was wondering how long before you cuss.” He huffed in amusement when Tanaka stuck his tongue out at him. How much did little Miyuki look like her father when she made the same face, he wondered as he rubbed the sting from his eyes with the heels of his palms. “She has other family that could take her in from her mom’s side, but after we heard the news together… I was selfish, I suppose. I couldn't stand the thought of her being with someone else. I wanted to believe she needed me like I needed her.”

“Selfish, huh?” The Tanaka that walked over to him was this new Tanaka, quiet footsteps and a gentle nudge of his elbow to Ennoshita's ribs. “Go sit down, I’ll do this.” The Tanaka pouring coffee and searching through the cabinets for sugar like he owned the place was the Tanaka from high school; the teammate that helped others without a second thought, the friend too outgoing to worry about restraint. “You went to film school, didn’t ya? Thought you were gonna make it big.”

The burn on his finger was forgotten in favor of his awe. How could someone be so different and still so similar? Was this what being a parent was like? “That was the plan. Not an option anymore, though. Odd hours, too much traveling.”

“Not the life for a single dad.” Tanaka wiped down the counter with a damp rag, all evidence of Ennoshita's shaky hands washed away. “Do you regret it?”

“Not at all.”

“Then I better not hear you call yourself selfish again.” Tanaka placed the porcelain before Ennoshita with care, as gentle as the squeeze he gave his shoulder afterward. “It happened recently, huh?”

“What gave it away?”

“Your cups match. Give it time, you'll have 11 different cups and no idea where you got them or where these ugly things went.” He took a sip of his drink, his squint of disgust accompanied by a mumbled _‘Ugh, decaf’._ “Need help learning how to be a dad?”

“God, yes.”

*

When Ennoshita was captain, it wasn’t groundbreaking by any means that Tanaka was helpful. It was more shocking _how_ helpful he had been, quickly becoming invaluable to Ennoshita’s leadership. Encouraging and supportive, he always knew what to say to lift spirits, relieve nerves, bring out a smile.

He made as excellent a father as he did a vice-captain. Tanaka was as much a guiding hand helping him put the puzzle together as he was a piece of it, invaluable in Ennoshita’s life for the second time. And now Shiori’s life, too.

Tanaka leaned back on the bench, slinging his arm behind the edge of the sturdy plastic made to look like wood. After three months of weekly meetups, countless tips from Tanaka on how to care for a little girl, and one remark about their butts molding into the seats, this bench was starting to feel like their own. “I see her ponytail isn’t falling out every 20 minutes this time.”

“Thanks to your tip to use a separate hair-tie underneath.” The pink scrunchie had survived the slide and the monkeybars so far. The true test would be the swings the girls were running to, the gravel crunching under their feet as they raced. “Still takes longer to put it up than it used to stay in. How did Asahi-san do that daily?”

Their shrieks of laughter when they tapped the metal pole at the same time rang out louder than the other kids nearby arguing in the sandbox over a toy truck. Miyuki’s shrieks, anyway; Shiori was quiet as ever, delighted giggles that sounded more like hiccups.

The more Ennoshita saw of Miyuki, the more she seemed like a clone of her father; playful, nurturing, and shining as bright as the sun. “If you think that’s bad, Miyuki’s in her pigtails phase.”

“I noticed. Why does she have two scrunchies for each?”

“She wanted two different colors, but the matching was too cute. Took a while, but we… uh, compromised.”

Ennoshita snorted. “You argued with your daughter over hair-ties?”

“C’mon, look at that and tell me the matching isn’t cute as hel- as can be.”

The blonde pigtails held up by green and purple twirled with the swings, the girls determined to twist the chains as tight as they could before letting them spin apart. “They are cute. I should see if Shiori wants to try it.”

“Next time we stop by, I can show ya a few tricks for pigtails on a doll. If I don’t part it just right, Miyuki throws a fit.”

*

Ennoshita's stomach spun like the keys around Tanaka’s finger. “We shouldn't push her.”

“It ain't- _isn't_ pushing. It's giving her options.” The keys stopped abruptly, leaving Ennoshita with vertigo, his head spinning in their place. “You, too. You're a fighter, Ennoshita. Why’re ya scared of this?”

“I'm not scared, it's just… been a while.” A while of walking everywhere. A while of tiny fingers clutching his tightly with every passing car. A while of letting his reluctance build and build before he bottled it away.

“You’ve got this.” Thank goodness Tanaka was gentler now, a squeeze on his shoulder instead of an enthusiastic punch to the gut, because Ennoshita was about to lose his lunch. “You'd do it for her, right?”

It strained his brow to glare as hard as he did. How was that even a question? “Of course.”

“Then there’s nothing to worry about.” He hadn't realized Tanaka's hand hadn't left his shoulder until Tanaka began kneading, fingers massaging the tension away. “Need a minute?”

“No. No, I'm fine.” With a deep breath, he steeled himself for whatever was to come for Shiori’s sake.

 

Promises of strawberry ice cream with hot fudge and a cherry and yes, pink sprinkles, too, were enough to get Shiori to mull over the idea. Perhaps it was the way Tanaka presented it so casually that gave her pause. “Want to go for a ride to the good ice cream place by the theater?” Or perhaps Tanaka had some magical power to enchant away any fears.

Most likely the latter. He’d always had a gift for that.

Miyuki had her own gift, brushing Shiori’s worries away with each stroke of her hair. “My dad’s the bestest driver ever, Shio-chan! He drives reeeaaallllly slow and it makes Auntie Saeko super mad!”

Shiori’s eyes when she looked to Ennoshita for answers were wider than he had ever seen. It was almost enough for him to call it off there and then, to offer ice cream from somewhere closer, and maybe a few toys, and hairclips, and whatever her heart desired to put this behind them.

“It’s too early for ice cream. We just had lunch.” Before Tanaka could argue, Ennoshita placed his hand on his back. “How about a movie first? My treat,” he added before Tanaka could cut in about expenses.

Shiori’s timid voice was nearly drowned out by Miyuki’s cheering. “C-can we see the one with the princess that does swords?”

“Of course.”

Miyuki’s and Tanaka’s matching grins were contagious, but not nearly as much as Shiori’s, as small as it was.

 

With Miyuki's constant remarks and reassurances that everything would be okey-dokey, Ennoshita didn't need to look back to know Shiori was squeezing her eyes shut as tightly as she squeezed Miyuki's hand - but he looked back anyway. Constantly.

Tanaka was a far more cautious driver than he would have ever expected. “After dealing with Sis’s driving, I almost didn’t get back in a car either. She teases me for driving like a grandpa.”

“I wouldn’t get in the car with her on a good day.” With his hundredth glance over his shoulder, he caught Shiori opening her eyes as the theater came into view. A smile crept on her lips. “Thank you for this, Tanaka.”

“Thank yourself. All I did was drive.”

Tanaka could play it cool all he wanted, but his dorky grin at the gratitude told a different story.

*

“You ready to see something crazy?”

That wasn’t exactly what Ennoshita was hoping to hear on their drive to Saeko’s place, but when the door creaked open, “crazy” didn't feel like a strong enough warning.

The little boy holding the doorknob was about a year or two older than the girls, and he was… a young Tanaka doppelganger, every feature exactly alike plus a head of fuzzy, black hair.

Minus the enthusiasm. “Hi.”

“Hey, Daisuke! This is my friend Chikara, and his niece Shiori-chan.”

He glanced up at Ennoshita. He glanced down at Shiori. “Hi.”

Ennoshita must have been wearing his awe on his face, if Tanaka’s delighted grin was anything to go by. Tanaka pat his back to nudge him inside. “He’s a good kid. Quiet. Not one for-”

“UNCLE RYUUUU!!”

The blur launching itself at Tanaka with a shout was blond, half a foot taller than Daisuke, and- good god, he looked so much like Tsukishima that Ennoshita was going to need to sit down soon to collect his bearings.

“Kaito-kun!!”

“Miyuki-chan!!” Mini(ish) Tsukishima pulled her into a hug with a twirl, her tiny sneakers threatening to smack into a mildly inconvenienced Daisuke as they spun. Instinct made Ennoshita worry what would happen if he let go; Tanaka’s braced posture gave him the impression his worries weren’t far-fetched.

She was on her feet, safely, soon enough, already grabbing Shiori by the hand and introducing her as her bestest friend. Shiori, the poor thing, was trying her best to hide behind Miyuki, but her manners won over her fears enough to give a small bow and an equally small “Hello.”

Kaito’s string of excited questions was thankfully interrupted by… oh, right, Tsukishima’s brother. In the mess of doppelgangers, Ennoshita had forgotten that Akiteru was the poor fool that married into the Tanaka family. “Alright you guys, let’s clear the doorway so they can get in. You’re letting in all the cold air.”

Shiori clutched the hem of her obnoxiously pink shirt as she glanced between her uncle and her friend nervously. Ennoshita pat her head gently, careful not to ruin the braid Tanaka had given her. "Go play, sweetie. More friends means more fun."

He assumed she said _'Okay'_ before she followed (rather closely) behind Miyuki, but it was hard to hear over Kaito.

Akiteru waved them inside. “Hey, I remember you. Karasuno’s old captain, right?”

“That’s right. I hope you don’t mind Shiori-chan and me tagging along.”

“Not at all! The more, the merrier. They’ve always wanted another kid to play with. Four means equal teams.”

Tanaka pushed Ennoshita from behind, guiding him through by the grip on his shoulders. “See? Already part of the family.”

‘The family’ was a few more familiar faces than he anticipated, he found once they made it past Saeko’s crushing hugs and into the chilly backyard.

Tsukishima, who thankfully hadn’t gotten much taller since high school, gave a polite nod in greeting. “Ennoshita-san.”

Nishinoya was far less reserved, shouting as he launched himself just as Kaito did to Tanaka minutes prior. “Chikara!” He didn’t get much taller, either. It was hard to tell now that his hair was shorter and not standing at attention to make up for lost centimeters.

It turned out, Ennoshita noticed as he watched the kids play at a small volleyball net, that Shiori had quite the competitive side once she got the hang of it. The twins' victories only strengthened her resolve to get better. It was strangely empowering to watch her argue to keep playing when the others grew tired, too.

He hadn't realized how sorely he needed to talk with more adults outside of work until the sky turned dark and the thought of leaving ached. It was easier when they parted with casual farewells and 'Next time's,' promises that this was only the beginning, old friends now new jigsaw pieces that fell into place.

When Shiori yawned “I had lots of fun, Uncle Ryuu,” on the ride back, Tanaka smiled harder than any time Hinata called him ‘senpai’.

*

“Don’t be ridiculous. I’m genuinely offering.”

“I’m not going to mooch off you!”

Ennoshita rubbed at the bridge of his nose. The frustration wrinkling it was starting to strain. “It’s just until you find a new place in the area.”

Tanaka's hands danced with his irritation, exaggerated gestures to punctuate his snapping. “That’s what I’m saying! There’s nothing in the area I can afford! You think I haven’t looked?!”

A room away, the girls were oblivious, singing along to the princess movie's soundtrack for the hundredth time. Ennoshita and Tanaka had done a good job of staying hushed; their heated whispers never reached the girls' ears. But Ennoshita’s patience was starting to wear thin; he wasn't going to let Shiori lose _her_ closest friend just because _his_ closest friend wouldn't put his infuriating pride aside. “Listen to them! Do you really want to split them apart? Right before first grade?”

“We’ll visit when we can, alright?!”

“Shiori needs you both.”

That gave Tanaka some pause, enough to fold his arms in front of his chest but not enough to deter his frown.

_“We_ need you both, Tanaka.”

Tanaka peered at the doorway, taking a moment to watch the girls clumsily dance in their matching frilly dresses and plastic crowns. “We need you both, too.”

*

“Three bedrooms, so… Guess the girls share?”

“Do you remember what it was like to share a room with a sibling?”

“...You got plenty of space for a futon in your room.”

*

Tanaka wasn’t kidding before; Miyuki’s mother sent enough presents to make moving it all a challenge. At least Miyuki had a story for every toy, every dress, every crayon and coloring book - from when she received it, her favorite part about it, and how excited she was to share it all with her best friend. Shiori was every bit as excited to share her stuff, too, the two of them deciding which stuffed animals were best friends, and crafting elaborate stories about how they met, and what kind of unicorn they’d ride as they unpacked together.

It was the plush wing poking out of one of the numerous cardboard boxes that truly caught Shiori’s eye. She was too timid to ask, and not nearly as sneaky as she thought she was as she stole glances at the light green velvet every 30 seconds with wide-eyed wonder.

Tanaka picked up the dragon with the same care as he did whenever he held Miyuki's macaroni art, with a smile just as fond. He knelt beside Shiori, holding the dragon towards her. “Feel him. He’s soft, right?”

Her fingertips brushed over the dragon’s head above the faded yellow button eyes. “Yeah,” she whispered back in awe. “He’s _really_ soft.”

“He likes it when you pet his tummy.”

The grey stomach must have been even softer, if her delighted gasp was anything to go by. “He looks old.”

The dragon was clean but clearly worn - the green faded, the button eyes scratched, stitches on a foot and under both arms done by an amateur hand. Well loved for years and in good enough shape to be loved for a few more. “‘Cause he is old. I got him when I was even younger than you.”

“He’s ten years old?!”

Ennoshita suppressed his snicker; Tanaka had less success holding it in. “Older than that.”

Her offended pout fell apart as she thought it over. “So you’re...” she glanced around for any overhearing ears, whispering “...fourteen?” like a secret.

Tanaka held his index finger up over his grin. “That’s right. Don’t tell anyone how old I am, okay?”

“Okay,” she whispered back.

“Hey, Shiori-chan.” Tanaka turned the dragon over in his hands, running a finger over the poor stitching on its side before holding it out to her. “Can you take care of Sir Dragon for me? I don’t have space on my bed anymore, and he doesn’t like to sleep alone.”

She took Sir Dragon into her hands as carefully as he held it out to her, cradling it against her chest. “I’ll take very good care of him.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

 

_“Sir_ Dragon? Who knighted him?”

“You makin’ fun of my dragon, Ennoshita?!”

“No, I’m making fun of you.”

“I was _four,_ alright!”

*

“Just, uh… making sure you’re alright? It’s, um. Been a while.”

If Ennoshita could be any more embarrassed, he would have considered leaving town. Change his name, too, for good measure. “We’re fine. I appreciate the concern. I have no doubt we’ll be calling you next Friday.”

After the click on the other end, Ennoshita nearly dropped his phone in his desperation to cover his face.

Tanaka walking in to check up on him, on the other hand- Did he even know the concept of embarrassment? The pastel pink apron barely slung over his neck was _not_ meant for an adult covered in flour. “Who was that? Got something you need to tell me?” he asked with a laugh. An uneasy laugh; he’d make a terrible actor with his complete inability to hide anything, the director in him noted.

“That was the pizza guy,” Ennoshita groaned into his hands.

“Pizza guy? Wait- That pizza place down the road? _They_ called _you?”_

“Because I... haven’t ordered in a while.”

Tanaka wiped at the streak of flour on his nose, a useless endeavor when his hands were even more thoroughly covered. “It’s been, what. Two weeks?”

Ennoshita sunk deeper into his seat, the pegs on his chair digging mercilessly into his back.

“I’m done stirring!” a small voice called from the kitchen, a welcome distraction.

“Hey, good job, Shio-chan! You’ll be a pro at baking like me in no time!”

A little cramped, at least compared to what Ennoshita and Shiori were used to, but the apartment was finally starting to feel like home. There was no room for the shadows that had haunted them from the empty spaces with the two new, sunny grins to light up the place.

The two extra pairs of hands were a different blessing; none of them were naturally any good at staying clean, but with a little group effort they could at least pretend otherwise. And with Tanaka around to take over cooking, Ennoshita and Shiori no longer had to suffer ordering out every evening. Though he could do without the concerned phone calls.

“Uncle Chikara, can you help me get ready for the tea party?”

“Yes, _please.”_ Any excuse to turn off his phone. Besides, he always enjoyed tea party prep time with Miyuki; the other two monopolized all her time. “Will Sir Dragon be joining us today?”

*****

Tanaka slung his arm over the back of the plastic bench, forearm brushing against Ennoshita's back. “I've heard that song so many times now that I hear it in my sleep.”

Louder than the creaking chains of the horizontal tire-swing they stood on were the two raised voices singing off-key.

Ennoshita scooted closer. Just an inch or five.“You'd think their interest would have dwindled after a few months.” He leaned back against Tanaka’s arm. His friend ran hot enough to feel the warmth through his nylon jacket.

“And yet they still fight over the lyrics.”

Tanaka brought his hand to Ennoshita’s shoulder, massaging it gently. “Took them ten whole minutes to apologize last time.”

“Terrifying,” he huffed in amusement. The girls had their spats. They always would, he imagined; they were different, opposites in many ways. He’d be more worried if they didn’t.

With a deep breath to steel himself, Ennoshita tilted his head to rest it on Tanaka’s shoulder.

Tanaka didn’t hesitate to rest his head against Ennoshita’s in return.

The girls’ matching mismatched pigtails - a pink and a blue scrunchie for each - bounced as they used each other’s momentum to swing back and forth. Tanaka’s thumb caressed his shoulder with smooth circles. “They’ll keep getting along just fine.”

*

“We’ve got a blanket shortage.”

January’s cold front was, well, colder than they anticipated, winter striking suddenly after a lukewarm December. “By how many?”

“One, if we double up the girls’.”

Ennoshita hid his burning cheeks behind his striped mug when he made his suggestion. “If you forego the futon, we can share the bed and give your blanket to them.”

Tanaka was less successful at hiding his blush behind his floral mug. “You don’t mind?”

“Why would I? You’d be my personal heater.”

“You’re using me.”

 

After bundling up the girls, saying their ‘good nights’, and searching for Sir Dragon hidden among the layers of blankets at Shiori’s last minute insistence, they crawled into bed.

With an awkward 50 centimeters between them.

“I can’t use you for your heat if you’re all the way over there.” Ennoshita snuck his cold toes under the blanket until they met comfortably hot skin and Tanaka’s surprised _‘Oi’._

“Alright, you wanna play like that-”

Tanaka had talked big, but after scooting closer… the two chuckled lightly, and then he said nothing more. He only pulled Ennoshita closer against him, surprisingly quiet as he rubbed the chill from Ennoshita’s arm.

Tanaka was as hot as the fire blooming in Ennoshita’s chest. Sleep had never come easier, and rising in the morning had never been as challenging; life was too cruel to force him from Tanaka’s warm embrace.

 

They oh so conveniently forgot to buy that extra blanket.

*

Ennoshita could have sworn cartoons had more class when he was a kid. The program that had the girls glued to the tv was nothing more than a slew of random gags with no real purpose. He even made a hushed remark about it when Tanaka joined him on the couch.

“I’m sure the stuff we watched as kids was garbage, too,” Tanaka whispered back as he slung his arm over Ennoshita’s shoulders.

Despite the lack of depth, or personality, or... anything, really, the actors with worse acting skills than Tanaka wandering through the far too obviously fake woods had the girls enthralled. Clutching their stuffed animals - Miyuki, her new fleece bunny with ears longer than its body; Shiori, Sir Dragon - the girls sitting on the floor mat were oblivious to the conversation behind them.

That terribly edited backdrop was going to be the death of him. It wasn’t his first time breathing a sigh of relief that his career plans changed; if he had to deal with less than subpar editing and props like that on a daily basis as he did in college, he’d have lost his mind within a year.

The man massaging his shoulder was a perfect distraction. The face he saw daily for nearly two years now only grew more handsome with each passing day. It wasn’t just his looks- No, Tanaka was far more than simply a pretty face. He was his teammate. His best friend. His other half not only helping him collect his life, but building one together - the puzzle was _theirs_ to solve.

The eyes that met his were captivating, the blush blooming infectious, the bashful smile inviting- an invitation he gladly accepted, meeting Tanaka halfway to gently bring their lips together.

The world beyond their kiss was miles away; all Ennoshita could comprehend beyond his heart pounding in his chest was Tanaka, Tanaka, Tanaka-

For all of two seconds, anyway. He was almost grateful for Miyuki’s terrible whistling skills to pull his attention away; he had forgotten about that whole _breathing_ thing people needed to do sometimes.

She tried her wolf whistle again, though it was more of a _tweet, tweet,_ each on the same key. Thankfully Shiori’s confusion at her _tweet’s_ was enough to distract the girls from Ennoshita’s horrible blush; if he looked anything like Tanaka, he must have been solid red all the way to his ears.

“Why did you make that noise?”

“That’s what you do when people kiss!”

“How did you do it?!”

“Like this!”

Shiori mimicked Miyuki’s puckered lips but blew nothing but air, much to her increasing frustration when she tried again.

“We… should...” Ennoshita’s whisper trailed off. He wasn’t sure what the protocol was for quickly stolen kisses with small children around. He could really use a handbook right now, something along the lines of _How to Date a Handsome Man When Your Daughters are Right There._

“Uh. We’ll, uh…” Tanaka scratched the back of his neck, that bashful grin only more tempting as it grew, “try more of that? Later?”

“Definitely,” Ennoshita whispered back breathlessly. Curse Tanaka for smiling at him like that when he couldn’t kiss it away.

*

“Remember when you said this was just until I find a new place?”

Ennoshita snorted; that possibility had long since been carried away by spring’s fresh breeze. Tanaka and Miyuki’s presence was as temporary as the seafoam green dripping off the roller and staining his latex gloves. “Plans change. You've got paint on your chin.”

“Jealous? I can share-”

“D-don’t you dare!”

“C’mere!”

As it turned out, wielding the roller like a shield wasn’t enough to deter Tanaka from pinning him to the wall. Another lesson learned was that he preferred to cut his hair than set to the tedious task of washing the paint out. Thankfully, Miyuki’s awe when she saw her room donned in her favorite shade was enough to distract her from teasing him about how ‘silly’ he looked.

*

With summer’s sweltering heat came nightly fights.

“Not happening.”

“You can’t always-”

“I can, and I will.”

“Oh, yeah? What if I did _this-”_

Tanaka was cruel, fingertips attacking Ennoshita’s ribs mercilessly. Unflattering squeals and giggle-snorts only fueled Tanaka’s revenge further, climbing on top of Ennoshita to keep him from squirming out of his grasp when he went straight for the pits. “Gimme this side of the bed!”

“N-never!” Ennoshita panted back, breathless as the fingers digging into his shirt slowed their assault.

Tanaka’s cruelty didn’t stop, flopping over to rest his weight on Ennoshita completely. “Aaah, that feels good.”

“You’re… you’re too heavy.” He took a few more deep breaths, throwing in an exaggerated sigh along somewhere. “And hot. Stop hogging the fan.”

“Look who’s talking. You steal it every night.”

He’d never admit to stealing the cool side of the bed just for the play-fights. Even if they’d fallen off a few times. A couple of head bumps were worth the fun - though he could have done without the mortifying moment he had to explain to Miyuki’s teacher that she’d caught them _actually_ wrestling. “I’ll share for a little while,” he hummed, wrapping his arms around Tanaka’s back.

Tanaka chuckled faintly against his neck, his face buried against his cheek. Tanaka grew quiet long enough for Ennoshita’s mind to wander. If someone had told him back in high school that he’d spend every night with his vice captain in his arms, what would he have said? Probably something sarcastic-

“I keep thinking about the girls’ fight earlier.”

“Arguments are bound to happen, Ryuu.” Even if they were more frequent lately; they were being raised together like sisters. Fights among siblings were an indisputable law of the universe.

“It’s not that. It’s what they were fighting about.” Tanaka shifted just enough to rest on his elbow and look Ennoshita in his eyes, his deep thoughts furrowing his brow. “If I was a superhero, what kinda power would I have?”

“A serious matter. Hm...” The cotton of Tanaka’s tanktop was soft under his hands as he rubbed his back idly. “Healing magic.”

Tanaka looked ridiculous whenever he gave that squinting glare; not nearly as ridiculous as that glare when he was trying, and failing, to intimidate someone, but still ridiculous. “That’s boring.”

“It suits you, though. You’re always helping the people you care about.”

The moonlight leaking through the window illuminated his blush. “Yeah, well. You’d be something boring too, then.” Tanaka’s finger tracing a heart over his chest left a trail that tingled. “I’m thinkin’… regeneration.”

“What?!” Ennoshita asked with an incredulous, sharp laugh. “That doesn’t fit me at all!”

“Sure it does. No matter what happens, you always get back up. Stronger every time.”

He didn’t mean to whisper, but Tanaka left him breathless yet again. “That’s my healer’s fault.”

The brush of Tanaka’s nose against his was as gentle as their hushed tones. “Nah. That was all you. I just gave a little push.”

Before Ennoshita could respond by closing the distance between their lips, Tanaka blurted “Whaddya think Noya’s superpower would be?”

“Interrupting things from long distances.”

*

“I’m sorry I haven’t called in so long. Summer was hectic.”

The obnoxious crinkle of plastic bags fought with Narita’s calm voice for dominance on the other end of the line. “It’s fine. Hisashi and I have been busy getting ready for the move next month. We’re looking forward to being back.” The bags grew blissfully quiet after a door’s slam. “How’s Shio-chan?”

Ennoshita's neck was starting to ache from using his shoulder to hold up his phone, but he couldn't pry his eyes from the screen. “Much better. She has her days where she misses Jun and Himari.”

“I’d be worried if she didn’t. What about you?”

He squinted at the laptop before tapping the delete button a few times. Why was that word even there? Typing while talking was always a terrible idea, why didn’t he ever learn, he’d have to rewrite that entire monologue- “Same as her, though not to the same extent. Plus a degree of denial.” Highlight that part, leave a note- “Part of me is still expecting them to show up at our door and act like nothing happened.”

“Jun would casually stroll in and say something to rile up Tanaka.”

Smiling like this was making his cheeks hurt. “And Himari would pretend to flirt with him to make him stutter.”

“Speaking of Tanaka…” Oh, here it comes- “I heard there was interesting development with him.”

“You might have heard correctly. He’s-” his chair spun against his will, suddenly face-to-face with a devilish grin, “-right here, apparently.”

“I hear you two talking about me, Kazuhito,” Tanaka hummed far too close to his ear. “Such gossips.”

“You know me, all talk,” Narita retorted. Ennoshita’s snort sounded terrible, an awkward gargle in his throat that only grew worse when both of the others laughed at it. Narita, a _gossip._ He wouldn’t tell a secret if someone paid him - Tanaka and Nishinoya had tried a few times back in high school. “So, what’s the juicy gossip between you two?”

“It’s something like this-” Tanaka puckered his lips, but Ennoshita only raised an eyebrow back at him. Tanaka went for it anyways, obnoxious sucking noise and all against his lips. It was a ridiculous thing to get butterflies over, but that was life with Tanaka in a nutshell; butterflies and ridiculousness.

“Narita, I should let you go. We have to go pick up the girls soon.”

“Okay. I’ll see you in a month.”

Tanaka’s second- and equally ridiculous- kiss against his cheek tingled, and- gross, it was wet to boot. “We don’t hafta leave for another twenty minutes.”

Ennoshita wiped at his cheek, much to Tanaka’s delight. The jerk even had the nerve to chuckle at him. “I was thinking we could spend some time together, but after that kiss-”

Tanaka made up for it with a peck on the lips as sweet as the aroma floating from the kitchen. A bit less ridiculous, a lot more butterflies.

*

Shiori’s sobs were much like her laughs, gentle hiccups nearly lost in the night’s wind shaking through orange leaves and scraping thin branches against their windows. Quiet as they were, they pierced Ennoshita’s ears, jolting him awake and carrying him down the hall.

She wasn't as small as she was when she first cried in his arms nearly three years ago; she was growing so quickly, always taller than the fresh notches on the hall’s doorframe. But she still fit when she curled into his lap on her bed, shaking shoulders still tiny in his arms.

He hid his tears in her hair and held her as tightly as she clutched at his shirt.

*

Saeko’s backyard felt like it was growing smaller every time he visited - the volleyball net raised a little higher, the boys a little taller, and now two more familiar faces to join the weekly gatherings.

And one new face. “You have to let him go eventually, Ryuu.”

The puppy Tanaka was cradling quickly licked the dumb glare off his face. Any arguments Tanaka had on the tip of his tongue were forgotten in favor of cooing.

Kinoshita scratched behind the chestnut brown ears. “I can’t blame him. Yuuta’s unbearably cute.”

That’s why Ennoshita was waiting for Tanaka to put him down; he wanted a turn. Between Tanaka and the girls, he was strongly considering calling out of work tomorrow to have time with their new addition all to himself.

Yuuta yapped happily- more of a chirp than a bark- at all the attention he was getting when Narita joined in on the petting. “Is he a bulldog?”

“A boxer,” Ennoshita and Tanaka replied simultaneously, in equally proud tones.

“I want to play with him!!” How Kaito managed to sneak up on Ennoshita, he’d never know; the kid was already up to his chest. He’d be taller than Nishinoya by the time he started junior high.

Between the differences in well, everything, it was hard to believe Daisuke was his twin. “I want a turn, too.”

“I’ll put ‘im down so you can all play with him. Give him room to run, alright?”

“Yes, uncle Ryuu!” they chimed in unison. At varying volumes.

Narita watched the twins as they chased after the puppy like they were the eighth and ninth wonders of the world. “It’s like Tsukishima and Tanaka swapped bodies.”

Kinoshita’s wide-eyed awe was even less subtle. “How do you get used to it?”

“You don’t. You just accept that reality bends around them.” Ennoshita watched the puppy clumsily skip further from his reach, the unattainable desire tripping and rolling in the grass. He was definitely calling out of work tomorrow.

 

Selfishly breaking up the evening’s argument with “He’s sleeping with neither of you until you both play nice and make an agreement” to steal the puppy into their room backfired on them. Ennoshita was _sure_ the girls both having “nightmares” and wanting to sleep in their bed at the same time- only 15 minutes after tucking them in- was purely coincidental. And as much as he honestly enjoyed the four, now five, of them squeezing together on the bed, there wasn’t going to be enough room for that much longer. The puzzle of their life was getting far bigger than he had anticipated.

*

“Daisuke knows lots of things.”

Braiding looked so easy when Tanaka did it, but now that his fingers were tangled in Shiori’s hair, Ennoshita was regretting trying it for himself while Tanaka slept in late. It was nice to get some time with just her, though; despite the arguments that had a habit of popping up, Miyuki and Shiori were still joined at the hip. It took Tanaka 30 minutes of arguing with Miyuki to not ask her mom if Shiori could join them while she was in town. Tanaka was the one to finally concede, giving his ex a call to warn her that Miyuki was going to put up a fight with enough fake tears to fill a well. “Does he now?”

“Mhm. He told me to color on the lines first so I won’t go out of the lines anymore.” Much as Shiori preferred Miyuki's company, her and Daisuke tended to gravitate to each other whenever they had a chance. Talking gradeschool philosophy over coloring books shielded them from Miyuki and Kaito's boundless enthusiasm. “And he says families can be different.”

“That’s true.”

“He says that my dad doesn’t need to be my only dad. And he said that someone who takes care of me lots can be my dad, too.”

His fingers stumbled as he wrapped the sparkly hair-tie at the end of the sloppy braid. “That’s true, too. Daisuke is very wise.” He snapped a rhinestone butterfly hairclip above the top hair-tie. Hopefully that was enough to distract from its imperfections. “Hair’s done. It’s not as good as Uncle Ryuu’s, though.”

“Thank you… Dad.” She zipped off to her room without looking back, but Ennoshita could hear her hiccup-like giggles when she was out of view.

Tanaka stood at their bedroom door frame, giving that grin that- Curse him, he saw the whole thing _and_ Ennoshita’s ridiculous blushing. It was probably for the better; Ennoshita didn’t need to explain himself when he ran to him and wrapped his arms around him tightly.

*

Three years together swept by in a breeze of playgrounds, typing, board game nights, bickering, ice cream, loud family reunions every weekend, and of course, volleyball.

“NICE SERVE!!”

After putting his two high school years of cheering from the bench into practice, followed by a suspiciously pointed request that parents could no longer attend practice matches, Ennoshita was ready to drown out the rest of the bleachers during tournaments to make up for lost matches.

Tanaka tried his best to cheer louder, but this was one area Ennoshita couldn’t possibly be defeated in by anyone, except maybe Nishinoya. “NICE KILL!!”

Miyuki’s high-five was reminiscent of her father’s, a slap with enough force to send the other ten-year-old stumbling.

Shiori, on the other hand, gave as good as she got when it was her turn to suffer Miyuki’s praise. She cheered just as loudly, too. She reminded Ennoshita of Asahi when she stepped onto the court; her reserved, quiet demeanor was obliterated by an ace’s ferocity the moment the whistle blew for the match to start.

He felt a (rather guilty) pang of sympathy for the opposing team when the ball smacked their side of the court with a sickening thud; six years of practicing every weekend against their older, taller cousins made Shiori and Miyuki flat out terrifying on the court against the other girls in their grade. Even in the finals, the gap in points was devastating.

But his pride far overpowered the sympathy. It wasn’t force, or luck, or even the years of playing against their cousins that got them their victories; it was their dedication to practicing, and inspiring their team.

The countless hours spent passing the ball and trading tips between the four of them most evenings had easily become a favorite pastime, and watching it blossom into victory made his heart swell. If someone asked him what “family” meant to him, it meant this - the girls’ triumphant smiles and Tanaka crushing his hand born from their time together.

*

Meaningless. It was meaningless, all of it, why did he bother-

“This is nothing, Chikara. You’ve got talent, and you know it.”

“All these publishers say otherwise.” The hair between his fingers felt greasy, another reminder of the hours spent slaving over the keyboard with what little free time he had. He dreaded looking in the mirror; between the countless _Please hold’s_ and cumulative hours of harrowing wait music just to get the same _“It’s good, but not good enough”_ over and over, all the time sweating on the phone was making his cheek break out worse than an emotionally hormonal teenager. He felt no better than one, either; he was one follow-up call away from pulling up his old playlists and staring at the ceiling for a few hours. Maybe this piece didn’t belong in their life.

“C’mon. You know better. If they can't see the gold you're giving ‘em, it's their loss.” Tanaka tugged at his arm, then tugged again with more force when Ennoshita refused to stand to his feet. Tanaka was always determined to help him get back up. “Even I read it all in one night, and that’s sayin’ something.”

He wasn’t… He wasn’t wrong. Watching Tanaka flip through the pages with such a genuinely intense stare (past his dorky reading glasses that Ennoshita could never get used to) had been quite a sight. Ennoshita had to take the girls out for the day to avoid Tanaka’s constant questions over _What will she do, Who is the traitor, Please tell me they get together._ When Ennoshita tried to force him to retire for the night, he _growled,_ too absorbed in the pages Ennoshita had dedicated the past few years to. At the time, that reaction had meant the world to Ennoshita. There was nothing more satisfying than Tanaka of all people analyzing every character and every motive, waking Ennoshita in the dead of night with theories about his own story.

But now that feeling was trapped behind impenetrable glass; no amount of genuine compliments could reach him. The fictional world he shaped with his hands was heavy on his shoulders. If he couldn’t succeed with this, with this one story he had once felt pride for, what chance did he ever have? Why had he ever bothered to begin with? Meaningless, all meaningless.

“Don’t you dare give up on this.” Tanaka had become a mindreader over time; he knew when Miyuki needed a trip to the ice cream parlor, knew when Shiori needed to bake her troubles away, knew when Ennoshita needed a hug like this. Three years and his hugs were still perfect, strong arms wrapped around Ennoshita and rubbing his back. Yuuta was always ready to help with hugs, too, nuzzling against his thigh. “The world needs your story. Only you can give it to them, ya know?” Tanaka’s soothing voice, Tanaka’s fingers in his hair, Tanaka’s lips against his ear; he still gave Ennoshita butterflies as easily as he made him smile. “Don’t forget who you’re writing for.”

“You’re right,” he confessed with a sigh, burying his face against the warm skin of Tanaka’s neck. He could never forget how what was once a simple script morphed into something more, into a story hundreds of pages long that hopefully someday Shiori, and maybe even Miyuki, could get as absorbed in as Tanaka; the story of the brave and clever heroine overcoming all obstacles, of the friends she made along the way that aided her in her journey. A story of family stronger than blood that helped each other no matter how much they disagreed, no matter how much they fought, no matter how difficult times got.

He’d be a hypocrite to give up. “I have a few more places I can call.”

“That’s what I like to hear.” The compliments couldn’t reach him, but the second gentle kiss on his lobe did. “But first, comfort food.”

“You can’t feed me junk food every time I feel down, Ryuu.”

“Just try and stop me.”

*

Dishes put away, floors swept, counters wiped clean, and homework begrudgingly finished, and yet they were rewarded with nothing but rain forcing them to stay inside. Much as they’d rather be passing a ball, after two broken lamps they’d learned their lesson about testing their skills indoors.

Resting for the evening wasn’t too awful; there were certainly worse ways to spend their time than having the girls glued to the TV from their usual spots on the floor with Tanaka’s arm over his shoulders.

Except maybe there weren’t worse things; he and Tanaka both stiffened on reflex when the TV said the magic word that made both girls turn to give them The Look.

_“Marriage,_ huh?” Miyuki cooed.

“We’ve been over this. We can’t legally get married here.” The go-to excuse to avoid the subject had always worked, usually enough to shut the idea down.

Until now. “I did some research and found out about ‘partnership certificates’,” Shiori sing-songed back.

Crap.

“What’s that?”

“It’s like marriage, but for same-sex couples.”

“Th-that’s hardly accura-”

Shiori was too enthused by Miyuki’s expectant smirk to listen. “And there are places that’ll let them have a ceremony, too!”

“So they can get married?! We can be sisters?!” Crap, Miyuki was getting far too excited, already jumping to her feet and sweeping Shiori into the momentum.

“Yes!! _Really_ sisters!!”

_Crap._ There was no getting out of the discussion this time. “Hey, don’t get your hopes up! Just because we can doesn’t mean we will,” Ennoshita tried to scold, but he doubted the words could cut through their premature cheering. He glanced in Tanaka's direction, a silent plea for help, but-

Tanaka was uncharacteristically quiet, his gaze pinned down at his palm he was wiping against his shorts, “Maybe, uh, d-do you wanna let them? Get their hopes up?”

What, since when, when had he- had Tanaka been thinking about this?! Was it a sudden spark at the idea at the girls' cheer, or...

Or was it more? Had it been on his mind? Had Tanaka been considering living with him for the rest of their lives, of sharing their bed until they were old and grumpy together, of gentle kisses before they departed for work each morning and tickle fights until they were breathless every night?

Ennoshita felt like he was on fire, flaring from his chest and heating his cheeks. “I-I’ll consider it.”

Tanaka’s face was burning just as brilliantly as he reached for Ennoshita’s cheek.

To see that blush, to feel those fingers against his jaw, to feel those lips against his every day for the rest of his life… God help him, he already knew the answer. “I’ll definitely consider it.”

*

The weight of the world slipped off his shoulders so suddenly he could have sworn he felt it physically, all the tension melting away.

Tanaka walked into the room just in time to catch him slumping down in his chair with a sigh of relief. “Was that…?”

“They accepted- Woah, hey! Careful!”

How Tanaka effortlessly pulled him from his chair and lifted him off his feet so quickly was a mystery. Tanaka had a tendency to gain super strength and speed whenever he was excited. “You did it! I told ya, I knew you could!!”

Ennoshita wrapped his arms over Tanaka’s shoulders to keep steady when Tanaka spun him around, and he left them there when he was safely on his feet again. “They said revisions should be minimal.” God knows he’d spent enough time editing and rewriting between rejections. “And they’ll be paying some upfront. Which means,” he found it difficult to look Tanaka directly in the eye, could feel his heart racing a marathon, “a little extra time and money to plan a wedding?”

Tanaka kissed him with enough force that he would have been sent stumbling backwards if Tanaka wasn’t holding him tightly enough to crush his ribcage. Tanaka was always there to hold him up, hold him together, hold the pieces of their life tightly.

*

Ennoshita realized quickly that a wedding was far less for the couple and more for the people around them. And that he could have done without all the eyes on him.

Though any glance over to his side reminded him it was just as much their day- Tanaka grinned brighter than Ennoshita thought possible the moment they locked eyes across the aisle, and it refused to falter long after and into the reception. It was impossible to not smile back with the same enthusiasm, and his cheeks were starting to hurt from it all. All the cheesy smiling made it difficult for the both of them to get their vows out without giggling like their thirteen-year-old daughters whispering secrets.

Said daughters were even more excited than Tanaka.

And they were almost eye-level with Nishinoya, too. “You two look like twins!”

Miyuki nearly ruined Shiori’s matching hairdo when she draped her arm over her shoulder. The older she got, the more she looked like her aunt. And had the same habit of squishing her unamused sibling's face against her chest. “That’s because we’re _officially sisters_ now!”

“I’m sure it has nothing to do with the attire,” Ennoshita quipped before taking another sip of the wine distracting him from all the attention. From their matching hair to their matching rhinestone flats, everything but the color of their dresses and the nails they painted for each other were perfect copies to show the world they were _officially sisters_ now. He’d long since given up trying to tell them that was hardly accurate.

Miyuki’s grin was much like her father's- foretelling of impending trouble. “Why aren’t you more excited about our little family, _Dad?”_

It was a good thing no one was in spitting range. “Y-You can’t just spring that on me!”

Daisuke and Kaito both thwacking his back while he choked were the opposite of helpful. At least his husband- _husband!,_ and his daughters- his _daughters!-_ guffawing at his expense drew any stares away from him specifically.

Prying said husband away was a new challenge. “Go mingle with Nishinoya, Ryuu.” He'd already had his share of social interaction, and Nishinoya could only make so many rounds to chat up every single guest alone so many times; there wasn’t enough alcohol in the universe to get Tsukishima to join him in the endeavour.

It was difficult to understand Tanaka when he was mumbling against his neck. “But it’s _our_ day, Chikara!”

“We have the rest of our lives now, don’t we?” Ugh, he felt embarrassed saying such a tacky thing, and worse knowing how red his cheeks must be.

But he knew Tanaka was a sucker for that, and it worked, winning him a barrage of kisses on his cheeks and nose before Tanaka settled on an unexpectedly gentle kiss on his lips. Thankfully Nishinoya was already pulling Tanaka away before either of them could say anything else cheesy enough for some terrible after-school special. He had enough on his plate talking to his "official" daughters and "official" nephews in his new "official" family. His complete family.

*

Teen years were aging Ennoshita worse than the girls’ puberty.

Miyuki’s sobs echoing through the house over boys broke his heart every time, even if she’d have a new “love of her life” in a week or two. If only he had some magic power to keep her from being as boy-crazy as Tanaka was girl-crazy, at least until she finished school. Tanaka wouldn’t allow her to date until she was at least 17, anyway - a heated argument they had on a weekly basis.

But more than that, he wished he could have kept Shiori from experiencing _his_ high school troubles. A boy-crazy girl’s heart would mend in a few days, but no kid deserved Shiori’s confusion, her fear of rejection and loneliness. “You know it’s okay. You have two fathers- I think that’s example enough.”

“You have each other, b-but I-” Another sob racked through her, cutting straight through Ennoshita’s chest.

He would have given anything to have some superpower to make this okay, to ease her worries- No, to make the world accept her as she was, to make her worries meaningless. But all he could do was rub her back as he sat beside her on her bed and offer the honesty he wished he had growing up. “It won’t come as easily as it does for others, but you _will_ find someone.”

Tanaka walked back in to hand her another box of tissues. “And then she can wait till you’re 17.”

She choked on a half-laugh as she fumbled for a tissue. He was as grateful for Tanaka’s presence as he had been so many years ago in his own troubled teen years; his quick _“Good, can’t have a good-looking guy like you stealing all the girls,”_ was a strange sort of comfort, one of countless times Tanaka had made him laugh when cheer seemed impossible.

“W-what about everyone else?” she asked as she added to the growing tissue pile left on the floor to worry about another time. “What if people find out?”

“It won’t be as bad as you think.” Tanaka wrapped an arm over her trembling shoulders. “You’ll meet some jerks, but most people don’t care. At least not enough to do anything. Especially not to a girl.”

“What if one of my friends hate me for it?”

“Then they’re not worth your time.”

She looked up over her nth tissue to give Ennoshita a glare, that silent _C’mon, really?_ that he couldn’t help but crack a smile at. She really was his blood, never too down to be sarcastic. “Okay, it’s terrible at the time. But they aren’t the only friends you’ll ever have, and the true ones will stick by you.”

Tanaka ruffled her hair, much to her groaning dismay. “And if they don’t get it, the ones that care will learn.”

She tossed the crumpled tissue next to the rest. “Cheap answers.” For all her bemoaning, her tears had stopped, and she couldn’t hide the tiniest curl of her lips with her bowed head. “How bad do I look right now?”

“Absolutely terrible.”

“Wanna take a pic so we can show it off to her future girlfriend?”

“Of course-”

Her amused huff was a relief, even if it was nasally. “Get out!”

Ennoshita underestimated her strength; it was hardly a struggle for her to push the both of them off the edge of her bed, Ennoshita catching Tanaka by the arm just in time before he fell on his rear. But try as she might, she couldn’t push Ennoshita out of her room in time before he hugged her tightly against his chest and mumbled into her hair. “You know you can talk to us about anything, right? If anything bothers you, especially this-”

“I _know,_ Dad.” She nudged against his stomach, failing to push him away. “You’re suffocating me.”

“That’s my job.” He gave her an extra squeeze before he let go.

“And it’s my job to do this-” Tanaka ruffled her hair again before she shoved him past the threshold and slammed the door.

“Miyuki will be back from being with Akemi-san soon, right?” she asked through the safety of her door.

“Any minute now. Have you talked to her about this before?”

“A little. But all she says is that she’ll fight anyone for me... And that now I can’t give her competition when it comes to boys.”

“Sounds familiar.”

Tanaka raised a confused eyebrow. “Why’re ya looking at me like that?”

“Hey, um…” A little, hesitant _tap, tap_ resonated from the other side of the wood. “Thank you.”

“It’s what we’re here for.”

*

“Akemi? I wasn’t expecting you…”

With how often Miyuki reminded him of Tanaka with almost everything she did, it was hard to forget she looked so much like her mother, too. She definitely had her mother’s nose and beautiful eyes, and the same hair that made his eyes squint when the sun reflected off it. “I wanted to surprise Miyuki.”

He stepped aside in silent invitation. “I’m sure that’s not the only surprise you have in store.”

She pointed behind herself with her thumb. “I heard that new game console is all the rage.”

“Are you doing it to torture me? I can already picture the fights for the TV.”

She gave a playful wink before stepping inside. “Maybe a little.”

An easy smile pulled at his lips. He would have liked to spend more time with just her, perhaps going out for a cup of coffee somewhere nicer than the cramped kitchen with its mismatched wooden chairs and ugly mugs, but her time in Japan was limited enough as it was. She was just as much a piece of their puzzle as anyone else, a piece he was grateful for when he needed an outside perspective in both parenting and life beyond. “Would you like some coffee?”

“Sure, thank you. Where is everyone else?”

“Ryuu’s at work, and the girls are at practice. How long will you be in town for? Their first Inter-High starts on Monday.”

“Monday?! She didn’t tell me!” It was no wonder Ryuu had fallen for Akemi once upon a time; she was far too pretty, so out of place sitting in their dully lit kitchen at the nicked-up cherry wood table. “She was too busy telling me about her latest crush last time we spoke.”

“Of course. I’m sure she said enough to picture him in vivid detail.”

“I swear I could see the stars in her eyes over the phone. Then she complained about the poor kid tutoring her in English for just as long.” She nodded her thanks when Ennoshita placed the chipped mug in front of her. “And then she went on about your book. I was surprised to hear her talk about a _book_ so passionately. She’s really into it.”

He tried to hide his embarrassed smile behind his drink. “She’d enjoy reading more if she hadn’t convinced herself she hated it so much. When she gets into a book, she doesn’t put it down until she’s done.”

“Then you’d better keep writing,” she hummed back with a doofy smile that reminded him of Miyuki whenever she tried to be smug.

As much as he enjoyed the praise, he had no idea how to accept it. So he did the first thing that came to mind: change the subject. “Will you be in town for Inter-High? I’d love for you to join us.”

 

When Miyuki caught sight of her mother in the stands, her grin shone brighter than the fluorescent lights illuminating the court.

*

The girl standing in the doorway reminded Ennoshita of Shiori when she first came under his care, shy glance flickering from him to the ground and nervously tapping the tips of her index fingers together. “I-Is Shiori-chan home? D-does she live here, I mean? I’m sorry, I-”

“She’s at practice but she shouldn’t be much longer,” he replied as he waved her inside. “I’m her father, Chikara. What’s your name?”

She clutched her bag’s strap tightly as she followed him to the kitchen. “Minako- Ah!”

Yuuta was far too big to be scurrying down the hallway, his nails clattering against the wood as he dashed to nearly knock Ennoshita over. "Yuuta, down! I'm sorry, Minako-chan, he's not danger...ous..."

Her smile was small, as timid as her voice, but it lit up her entire face when she reached out to scratch the boxer behind his tiny, floppy ears. "Hello, Yuuta-kun."

Yuuta nuzzled her hand, returning the greeting with a content huff before he turned to lead them towards the kitchen. Ennoshita made a mental note to give him extra treats later. “How do you like your coffee?”

“Um… S-sugar, please. Three spoons...”

“That’s how Shiori likes hers, too,” he remarked, much to her blushing delight. “So, how do you know her?”

“We… have homeroom together…”

It took a few minutes of petting the dog resting his head on her lap, but she began to relax, responding to Ennoshita's simple questions without stuttering and loosening her free hand’s death grip on her bag strap.

Until Tanaka burst through the door a hallway over, the loud slam that made the poor girl jump followed by his shaved head popping into the kitchen. "Hey, hey, who's this?"

“Minako-chan, this is my husband Ryuu. Despite his looks, he’s harmless.”

“Hey, what’s that supposedta mean?!”

“Y-you two-” Minako’s gaze flit between the two as fast as a hummingbird. “Sh-Shiori-chan doesn’t mind?” she squeaked, light brown eyes as wide as saucers. And smiling like she struck gold.

“Quite the opposite.” Finally, the moment he’d waited nearly a decade for- “Want to see embarrassing photos of her?”

 

He barely caught the exchange going on a room away when Shiori finally arrived. “You m-mentioned pastries, and, and I-” Minako avoided Shiori’s gaze like it could turn her to stone, choosing to look at her shuffling feet as she held out a small box with ribbons as pink as her cheeks. “Can you t-tell me if they’re good?”

Shiori’s composure was in much better shape as she untied the knots, but her cheeks were just as bright. “Macaroons?” She took a bite, and- “Thish ish awhful,” she managed around a mouthful before swallowing hard. Thankfully, she continued before Ennoshita had to call for an ambulance, because he wasn’t sure how to properly describe _Yes, hello, a girl just burst into flames in my living room._ “C’mon. I’ll show you how to make them edible.”

Ennoshita kept his grip on his phone just in case of explosion when Shiori reached for Minako’s hand.

*

It was a different sort of torture to experience defeat from the stands. His memories of the feeling had dulled, but in the blur of it he remembered the somber clapping and sympathetic praise above the banner echoing hollow in his ears.

Yet it was all he could offer now as he watched the two most important people in his life struggle to help each other off the Orange Court floor for the second year in a row.

*

It came as no surprise that Shiori won the bet- three weeks of no dishwashing- when Miyuki had a boy walk her home precisely three days after her birthday. What _was_ a surprise was the boy in question.

“I don’t like ‘im.”

“Do you even know who it is? And stop glaring, they can’t even see you from there.” Ennoshita crouched by his husband to peep out the window with him. He was just as prepared to scare off the new boyfriend, in all honesty; they’d practiced their ‘terrifying dad’ routine in the mirror for the past hour, and Tanaka gave him plenty of tips on scowling. Shiori joined for a while, too. “Is it just me, or does he look eerily familiar?”

“Is that-” Tanaka fumbled for his glasses, the hinge of the gold frames catching on his shirt before he held them up to his eyes. “What the- That’s that kid that tutors her!”

Shiori shoved Ennoshita aside to get a better peek, nearly toppling both her fathers in the process. “Itsuki?!”

“Yeah, that one!”

“But she’s been complaining about him for yea- Oh. _Oh.”_

Miyuki and the shorter boy went for the most awkward hug Ennoshita had ever witnessed, uncertain arms crashing into each other and enough space between them to squeeze in a volleyball. Miyuki leaning in to kiss his cheek from a foot away made it horrifically worse, and when she missed her mark and nearly kissed his eye instead, Ennoshita was fairly certain he was going to die from secondhand embarrassment.

His only salvation was Shiori exaggerating gagging noises. “Gross.”

“Have some resp- You’re recording this mess?!”

“Blackmail.”

“I’ll remember that when Minako comes over for your birthday.”

“You _wouldn’t-”_

“I don’t think she’s seen that picture of your bowlcut you _absolutely had_ to have when you were ten-”

“I’m deleting! I’m deleting!”

“...Send it to me, first.”

*

The silence was astounding, echoing through the stadium as all eyes followed the ball’s course. He knew the ball _had_ to be moving with a force worthy of the National court; he’d been on the receiving end of Miyuki’s spikes frequently as of late, when practice was over and the girls still weren’t satisfied long after the sun had set. But he must have had an adrenaline high as potent as the players’, because the ball’s speed was agonizingly slow before his eyes as it sailed towards the libero- _past_ the libero, too close to the boundary line-

The shouting, the drumming, the rattling and banging of whatever the crowd could get their hands on at the whistle’s cue drowned out his cheers. It was a surreal juxtaposition to have Nishinoya holding him back from leaping over the balcony, but at that moment he wanted nothing more than to hug his daughters and join their tears of victory.

*

“It’s not too late, you know.”

The screech of the tape roller was nearly louder than Shiori's voice. "It's way too late, Dad- Miyuki, don't put him in a box!! He's driving with us!"

Miyuki glared at the plush dragon- its green velvet had seen better days, but its collection of stitches hadn’t grown since it went under Shiori’s loving care. "I call shotgun, Sir Dragon."

Ennoshita insisted he wouldn't help because it was impolite to touch a girl's belongings. The truth was significantly more petty. "The university thirty minutes away is-"

“-Not offering us volleyball scholarships, Dad.”

Miyuki slung her arm over his shoulders, dragging him down for her own convenience. Not that she was much shorter than him, and Shiori was only a few centimeters behind. When had they gotten so tall? When had they stopped wearing their hair in matching scrunchies, when had they stopped fighting over which cartoons to watch, when had they stopped singing the same movie songs over and over? In the blink of an eye, they were braiding each other's hair instead of calling for his help, they were staying too late to practice and leaving their dads to watch TV alone, they were singing along to songs with lingo he’d never understand while they took turns driving. And now they'd be driving too far out of his reach. “We’re going to Tokyo whether you like it or not.” She squished Sir Dragon's snout against his cheek with an exaggerated _mwah._

Tanaka and Yuuta whined together, the boxer’s head resting on his lap. “You can’t go! This place’ll get too lonely!” Tanaka was moping worse than Ennoshita, slumped shoulders and pouting no matter how much Shiori had rubbed his back. She'd given up half an hour ago, adding insult to injury by forsaking him to continue packing.

”You have each other, you know.”

“That’s not the same,” Ennoshita and Tanaka mumbled in unison.

”Think about all the things you can do now that you’re _alone."_ Shiori had the audacity to sing-song 'alone', as if it was some sort of blessing.

Though perhaps, it could have its advantages- “Nobody could steal my turn playing video games..."

“We’re taking the console.”

Ennoshita mirrored his husband, slumped shoulders and pout as he plopped down beside him on Shiori’s twin-sized bed. When had he become such a childish menace, he had to wonder. Tanaka was most certainly to blame, and not because he was upset he had to watch his little girls grow up and leave him behind. Not at all.

“You two are honestly such brats,” Miyuki said with a laugh.

For all his pouting, he was proud of them. Proud beyond words, proud enough that if he thought too much about it his eyes would begin to sting- maybe that was why they forbade him from rambling about how proud he was for the nth time. So instead he thought about the worn-out mattress beneath him; it had been a few years since they replaced it, perhaps they should do it again for when they visit.

Miyuki squeezed herself between them. “We’ll miss you, too.”

*

The last piece clicked into place with a soft, satisfying snap.

He traced the indents with his fingertips, mapping the paths they had taken to hold the puzzle together. A thousand cardboard pieces weren’t nearly enough to capture all that the picture had meant to him. There would never be enough cardboard pieces to mirror all the intangible pieces of his life he’d collected over the years with Tanaka’s help, never enough to show the journey that lead to the custom jigsaw puzzle on their nicked-up table in their cramped little kitchen.

He leaned against the warmth suddenly against his back, sighing at the strong hands kneading his shoulders.

“Why’d you hafta pick that picture?”

“Because it was a special moment.”

Tanaka’s thumbs massaged his nape. “Sure, but couldn’t you pick a better one? I’m crying in that one.”

“You’re crying in all of them, Ryuu. Help me tape the back.”

Slid onto a thin plywood board, squished between another to make a little puzzle sandwich, and flipped upside down, the puzzle’s back was exposed and ready for the taping. Within three minutes and as many errors, they flipped it again, leaving Ennoshita quiet and pensive as he traced the pieces of the picture again.

A lifetime ago, he had imagined a different puzzle was in store for him- a lonely puzzle, one without Shiori, without Miyuki and Tanaka, without the family smiling at him from the picture beneath his fingertips. His daughters holding their diplomas high with Minako and Itsuki beside them; Kaito punching his uncle Kei in the stomach in an unfortunate show of enthusiasm and his brother Daisuke a safe three feet away; Nishinoya, Saeko, Akiteru, Akemi, and even Kinoshita and Narita laughing at the display; and finally, Ennoshita patting his sobbing husband on the shoulder.

“We should get a frame for this one. Hang it up in the living room over the mantle,” Tanaka sniffled, resting his head on Ennoshita’s shoulder.

“That’s a fantastic idea.”

Countless pieces, countless paths, all leading to the life they had built together- their puzzle was complete.

**Author's Note:**

> Sir Dragon is inspired by cybernya's fic ["Shared Knowledge"](http://archiveofourown.org/works/8373736) and I've been crying about Tanaka having a plush dragon ever since I read it months ago
> 
> writing blog: [glitch-writes](http://glitch-writes.tumblr.com)  
> 


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